Matchbox Holder - Wood, circa 1942

Search the collections

Summary:: Wooden matchbox holder made by an Italian POW interned in the internment Camp No. PWCH V29, near Albury, circa 1942. Over 1000 Italian POWs were interned in this camp. Most of them had been captured in North Africa and transported for internment in Australia in 1941.

Some of these POWs were assigned to work as mechanics or labourers in the nearby Australian Military camp at Bandiana, close to Bonegilla. The POWs befriended the Australian soldiers who would allow them to take scraps of metal and wood to make objects like this.
Description:: Wooden match holder. The top is finished with a metal border, and the base has a metal striking strip. The four sides have been decorated with sketches - two have a butterfly design, the other two have an inverted horseshoe; each sketch is enclosed in a scroll pattern.
Acquisition Information:: Donation from Anonymous, 1996

Discipline:	History
Dimensions:	5.07 cm (Height), 2.08 cm (Width), 4.08 cm (Length)

Tagged with:	internment camps, italian communities, italian immigration, prison camps, prisoners of war, wars conflicts, world war ii 1939-1945
Themes this item is part of:	Italian Historical Society CO.AS.IT. Collection, Migration Collection
Primary Classification:	RECREATION & TOURISM
Secondary Classification:	Substance Use - Tobacco
Tertiary Classification:	storage
Place & Date Made:	Bandiana, Victoria, Australia, 1940